Complaint
This edition considered the Supreme Court judgment on the meaning of “s±ð³æ†in the Equality Act 2010 published the previous week and sought to examine what it might mean in practice.  A listener complained the programme did not reflect the view of a number of legal commentators that “making single sex spaces gender neutral could be direct or indirect sex discrimination†and “gave the impression the law was that service providers did not have to exclude men from women’s single sex spacesâ€.  The ECU considered whether the item met the standards for impartiality set out in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The programme reflected a range of perspectives on the potential implications of the court’s judgment including contributions from Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities and the former Supreme Court Judge, Lord Sumption.  It went on to interview the former MP, Ben Bradshaw, who offered his opinion as “a prominent supporter of transgender peopleâ€.  Whilst it would have been open to the programme-makers to put to Mr Bradshaw the point raised by the complainant, the Editorial Guidelines do not require every perspective to be reflected on every occasion.  Programme-makers are entitled to decide which aspects of a news event they wish to cover and how, so long as what is broadcast meets the requirements for due impartiality.  In this case, the ECU considered the programme did not misrepresent the legal position and offered an appropriate range of informed perspectives.
Not Upheld